If you’re shopping for the best microwave oven, you may wonder about a Lightwave oven vs. a microwave. While microwaves are usually the go-to cooking process for frozen food items, you should seriously consider lightwave convection microwave ovens.
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
- Lightwave ovens combine microwave frequencies and halogen-produced heat to cook your food.
- Microwave ovens use electromagnetic waves to excite the water molecules in your food, heating your meal.
- The Lightwave oven will give your food a baked texture faster than a traditional oven. That said, microwaves will heat your food more quickly than the LG Lightwave.
Conversely, the Lightwave oven combines electromagnetic waves with a halogen bulb, leading to shorter cooking times over a conventional microwave. Selecting your ideal oven hardware can be difficult, so read on to learn more about how a Lightwave convection oven compares to conventional microwave cooking.
Insider Tip
You can adjust your microwave power output to match your needs. For example, lower the power level to heat or defrost your meal over a longer time slowly.
Comparing LG Lightwave Ovens and Microwave Ovens
Unlike comparing an over-the-range microwave oven and a traditional model, Lightwave ovens cook differently than microwaves. In addition to standard microwave oven technology, the LG Lightwave offers a convection-style cooking chamber to give the surface of food a baked texture. That said, not every meal needs a baked outer surface, especially if you don’t have a lot of cooking time. So, let’s look at some key differences between an LG SolarDOM vs. microwave ovens.
Cooking Speed
Much like comparing a kettle and a microwave for boiling water, one appliance cooks much faster, and that’s the microwave oven. While the Lightwave oven is faster than a regular oven, it doesn’t heat food as quickly as a microwave. That said, the Lightwave can cook foods and baked goods that a microwave can’t make.
Food Quality
While food quality is somewhat subjective, you should know what type of culinary experience to expect from your appliance. For example, the Lightwave oven bakes your meals, but a microwave heats them. So, while a microwave might deliver hot food faster, it does not cook raw food evenly or as well as a Lightwave oven.
Healthiness
Even though some people take issue with levels of microwave radiation in their food, you shouldn’t be worried. There is no evidence that microwaved food is negatively affected by the cooking process. That said, you may enjoy the type of food possible with the convection-style cooking of the Lightwave oven.
Warning
Do not put metal objects in your microwave oven while it’s in use. Metal will spark when exposed to microwave frequencies, possibly damaging your appliance and home.
F.A.Q.S
Should you broil or bake your food?
Either option will deliver a great meal, but your cooking instructions will vary. For example, baking uses radiant heat from heating elements on the bottom of your oven. Broiling, however, uses a top heat source, but you should save it for browning the top of a dish.
Can we make pizza in a microwave oven?
Experts do not recommend making pizza in a standard microwave. You will get uneven heating because a pizza needs direct heat to be crisp. That said, a convection model may reach a cooking temperature good enough to bake a pizza.
Which is better: convection oven or microwave?
Your oven selection largely depends on the type of food you want to eat. Convection microwave ovens give you a culinary experience similar to traditional ovens. Microwaves, however, use electromagnetic radiation to heat your food, but it is much faster at cooking.
STAT: In a US Department of Energy survey, only 8% of respondents making $0-$20,000 a year owned a convection microwave. (source)
REFERENCES:
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtxTKhg9RV0
- https://s3.wp.wsu.edu/uploads/sites/2071/2013/12/Microwave-Food-Safety.pdf
- http://www.historyofmicrowave.com/r
- https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED319914.pdf
- https://www.fda.gov/radiation-emitting-products/resources-you-radiation-emitting-products/microwave-oven-radiation
